Five-thirty had finally rolled around, ending yet another crowded and busy day. Hermione was cleaning up all the stray books from the tables in the children's section when someone came in.
"Fayina, I'll be right there! Just cleaning up this mess!" Hermione called out.
Not paying much attention, she slipped on a book that had been on the floor and she dropped all the ones that had been in her arms. She too came tumbling to the ground on her hands and knees. After letting the shock of the fall slide through to her toes, Hermione began picking up the books and placing them in her arms. The person stepped over and started helping out by picking up some of the books.
"Honestly Fayina, it's been quite a busy day. I can't wait to get out of here." Hermione trailed off as she picked up the last book. She looked her volunteer in the eyes and became embarassed. Draco Malfoy was staring at her with a strange look on his face.
"Oh. What can I do for you Malfoy?" Hermione said dully. He glared at her a bit.
"Right. I was just over at Flourish and Blott's and they didn't have the book I was looking for, said it was sold out." He began, sounding put off and bored. "I came in here to see if you might have it. Apparently I can't read or I would have realized this was YOUR shop." He commented calmly. Hermione rolled her eyes.
"Some things never change do they? What book are you looking for?" She asked frustratingly. Malfoy stepped around the little shop, eyeing everything up and down as he did so.
"Cute little shop. Too bad the customer service is lousy. You don't have a single person offering their help." He sneered. Hermione rolled her eyes again.
"That would be because I'm the only one here. Now what are you looking for? I probably have it." She answered simply, trying to move the conversation along. Hermione stood up with the pile of books in her arms and started walking around to put them in their rightful spots. Malfoy looked her up and down as well.
"The only one here, that takes patience. Well, I suppose you might have it. It's that new one by...by...I can't seem to remember the name." Malfoy started snapping his fingers trying to remember the name. "It's the latest book about the Ministry of Magic." He replied in a drawl, eerily similar to Severus Snape, a professor Hermione and her friends barely tolerated throughout their years at Hogwarts. Hermione looked at him suspiciously but helped him as patiently as she possibly could.
"The ministry, is it? Well that would be in the Ministry of Magic section." Hermione stated plainly as if it were something the smallest child could figure out, heading toward the appropriate section rather quickly. Malfoy trailed at her heels until she found the book he was looking for.
"Is this it?" She asked, handing him the book. He nodded as he flipped through the book, clearly impressed she even knew what he was talking about. "Is that all for you Malfoy?" She asked. He nodded again as Hermione stepped behind the counter for him to make his purchase. It was quite a tense moment.
Hermione suddenly noticed how much taller he had grown, now easily being a whole foot taller than her. His hair remained the same as it was six months ago, loose and soft, and unnaturally white. He paid for his book and headed out the door, looking back once more and pausing, Hermione's back to him as she organized her things. He lightly tapped the door frame with the palm of his hand and stepped all the way out, no longer hesitating.
Fayina got up from underneath the tree she sat. She packed her things back in her bag and took a deep breath before heading back down the hill to meet Hermione in her shop. The sky had formed a few clouds, but not enough to block out the still brightly burning sun. Fayina trudged along, taking her time as she enjoyed the sights and smells of the Hogsmeade village. It had been a long time since she set foot in this place. Three years ago she had made up her mind that she wanted to be an auror, after being out of school for two years. And now she was back, though Hermione seemed to be the only one so far that actually knew that, she was happy all the same. So much can happen in just three years.
Harry left for auror training just a month after leaving school, and went to work on his first case a week after completing his training course. Since then, his letters had been sparse and no one had even seen him. He continued to work undercover on some big important case for the past two years. Really,four and a half years had taken quite a toll on certain people; mainly Ron and Hermione, his two best friends. Fayina kept walking. As she was gazing around the village just yards away from Hermione's shop, someone slammed hard into her shoulder, causing her bag to flop to the ground immediately. She bent over to pick it up, so did the stranger. They hit heads rather hard. When she managed to stand back up, she was disappointed at the fact that she had hit heads with Draco Malfoy. She had actually come in physical contact with the slime ball.
"Not every day I run into a git like you, is it?" Fayina said sarcastically, but with enough meaning behind it to make him irritated.
"How did you---wait a minute! You're that girl that came from Russia to go to Hogwarts! I was hoping I would never see you again." He sneered. Fayina rolled her eyes but continued to play along.
"Well I can see nothing's changed with you! You still don't know my name. Not that I want you to. I mean I don't want to hear my name said in your voice!" Fayina joked dreamily, like she was queen of the world. "So sorry for you, you're out of luck! I believe the last time I saw you was at the farewell ceremony, rather bummed about us getting that plaque." Fayina retorted back sarcastically. The two of them stood inches from each other, glaring the other fiercely in the eyes.
"Well, you better get out of my way!" He demanded. Fayina plastered a sudden smile on her face.
"Or what? You'll push me and hex me till next Christmas? I don't think so, ferret boy!" She joked again. Malfoy's face turned pink.
"What did you call me?!" He spat. "Oh go fetch a bone! You win this time, but next time, you'll regret it." He said, pointing an accusing finger at her. Fayina grinned once more, but stopped and looked at him.
"Yes sir, Malfoy sir!" She said in a mock tone. Draco glared at her some more at her audacity. "I may be fetching the bone this time but you'll be the one cleaning up my mess the next time we meet." She said threateningly before walking into Hermione's shop. Draco let out a deep pent up sigh and stomped his way down the sidewalk.
The bell on the door sounded, signaling to Hermione that someone else was coming into her shop. She came from the back room to find Fayina laughing hysterically to herself, but in silence.
"Oh hi, Fayina! What's so funny that it's nearly got you down on the floor?" Hermione asked with a questioning grin on her face. She walked to the counter and locked everything up. Fayina took in deep breaths and finally her purple face returned to the normal olive tone. She stood grinning at Hermione whom waited for some kind of response.
"I ran into Malfoy just now and he was harassing me about some old school stuff. But I don't think he'll be bothering me anymore!" She said triumphantly. Hermione gave her a suspicious look. "Oh, I called him ferret boy. He didn't seem to like that much!" She finished. Just as she did, Hermione cracked up in giggles.
"Your first day back and you and Malfoy are already having a go at each other. Not too much has changed has it?" Hermione joked, giggling here and there. Fayina shrugged her shoulders and just smiled.
"You ready to go?" Fayina asked. Hermione looked around her dark and quiet shop for a moment before nodding with a smile on her face.
"Yes I think we can go now. You know, I heard something a little different from Lavender and Parvati earlier today." Hermione began as she pulled her robe off the coat rack. Fayina gave her a quizzical look.
"Well what's going on? Is anything wrong?"
"I don't think so. Just the usual gossip train passing through. They said that Harry would be due back any day. But since I haven't heard from him in so long---"
"Look, whatever Ron's got planned should take your mind off of it." Fayina replied. She smiled a little, mentally talking Hermione into cheering up. She smiled back and the two headed out the door.
Hermione locked up the shop behind them and Fayina followed her down the cobblestone path. The warm April air was now turning to a cool mid-day breeze all around them. The walk remained silent as the two girls enjoyed the scenery. Hermione felt the skin on her arms chilling and she pulled her robe over herself, feeling toasty warm once again. Ten minutes later, Hermione led them to a quaint little building on the edge of the Hogsmeade city limits. It was just outside the main town where the shops were.
Fayina looked at her strangely. Hermione smiled at her and walked up to the door. She knocked once before opening the door immediately after that. Fayina looked at her as if she were breaking in, but followed closely behind her. Inside was a cozy living room complete with two sofas and an oversized chair that could easily fit two people in it.
The floor was made of wood and the walls were off-white. Pictures lined the walls, pictures of them from their school days. Hermione glanced quickly at one particular picture. It was of them all at the farewell ceremony, the one Colin Creevey took. Hermione shook her head of her thoughts and led Fayina through to the kitchen, where a group of people were gathered. Ron stood behind his kitchen counter and Parvati and Lavender were sitting on stools on the opposite side of him. All in all, Ron had quite a nice house to call his own.